


Stronger

by designer_eye_bags



Category: Free!
Genre: Chronic Illness, Disability, F/M, First Meeting, Fluff, Reader-Insert, Rehabilitation, Slice of Life, invisible illness, maybe ooc?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:28:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23693908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/designer_eye_bags/pseuds/designer_eye_bags
Summary: “...I like your shoulder brace.”no one can keep him on his toes better than she can.
Relationships: Yamazaki Sousuke - Relationship, Yamazaki Sousuke/Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 23





	Stronger

**Author's Note:**

> any of you who have an invisible illness and/or mobility issues, this is for you.
> 
> big love <3

The gym was not an unfamiliar place to an athlete. Any athlete, really. You have no option but to train, or you get left in the dust.

And amidst the sounds of clanking metal and heavy breathing, sat Sousuke. His bare torso glistened under the fluorescent lighting, and his eyes stared into nothingness, lost in a world of focus and controlled movement.

After surgery, he thought he’d be set. Ready to go, ready to dive back into the pool like the whole debacle never even happened. Every physiotherapist on the planet had other plans. Rehabilitation was taking longer than he’d hoped, and it wasn’t easy. Any pull in the wrong direction, any hyperextension, any movement outside his normal range, and the pain flared up again. He had to retrain every part of himself just to bring that stupid joint’s functionality back.

Sousuke pulled the rowing machine from behind, with just as much resistance as his doctors would allow. Even so, he was struggling. His head was fighting him, self-control battling his frustration to go over the edge. The foam of his shoulder brace stuck to his skin, a feeling he couldn’t help but despise. It was just another reminder of his pitiful state.

He gently released the handle and rotated his shoulder forwards, and then backwards. Leaning against the support bar, everything about his demeanor screamed ‘utterly defeated’.

Out of the the corner of his eye, Sousuke spotted a young woman in the cleared area of the gym. A stack of free weights balanced precariously beside her, along with a pastel patterned cane. She laid on a mat, steadily doing a set of flies. What he noticed most: her black shoulder brace, much like his own.

Curiosity getting the best of him, he slipped on his v-neck and made his way over. The mats were stacked up against the mirrored wall. Sousuke pulled one from the pile, but not without it toppling over in the process. He shrunk into himself and blushed, her giggles hard to hide.

The mat hit the floor with a smack. He lowered himself onto it gently, using his good arm for support. Once he made it down safely, Sousuke made a quick glance at her.

That shoulder brace of hers, on the opposite shoulder of his, was very different up close. He could now see the intricate embroidery; flowers, birds and paisley design elements, all done in cheerful colours. He was impressed, to say the least. The material on those things was not exactly thin, and getting anything through it was bound to be a challenge, let alone an embroidery needle.

She set down the weights and let out a breath, it’s restricted timbre all too familiar to the swimmer. At the same time, he realized that he’d come over with no plan whatsoever of what he was going to do. He had no equipment, just a mat and a whole bunch of anxiousness.

After building up the courage, Sousuke finally broke the awkward silence.

“...I like your shoulder brace.”

Her heard swivelled in his direction, her expression hard to pin down. Surprise? Offence? Sousuke really couldn’t tell, and it scared him, in all honesty.

She took a few seconds to get a good look at him. She knew that they weren’t exactly having the same problem, not with that build. But, that swatch of black peeking out from his shirt could be nothing else.

“Thanks. Yours too.”

She struggled to sit up, and Sousuke quickly jumped to help her, but she waved him away and carefully made it up on her own.

Sousuke truly felt bad for staring at her so much, but he just couldn’t figure her out.

“So, what did you do?” she asked. Her voice was soft and welcoming, making him feel a lot more comfortable in the strange situation.

“Swimming accident. Butterfly really packs a punch.”

She smiled and nodded, readjusting her brace in second nature.

“What about you?” His tone was much more tentative.

“Defective collagen. An invisible illness technically.”

“Oh...”

“Yeah, I get that a lot. Not a big deal though. You learn to adapt. So, are you going to actually do some work? Or did you just come over here to chat me up?”

“Both...?”

Never had he been caught so off-guard. It was if she was dissolving his nonchalant persona like he was a piece of milk chocolate in her pocket.

“Then get to it!” She motioned with her chin towards the free weight rack. He hopped up and grabbed a pair of 15’s.

The woman had already returned to her flies when he got back. He was desperately trying to keep up his relaxed facade as long as he could, even if she was already quite far in breaking down that wall.

It had been too long since he’d last done a bench press. His balance was way off, but he tried anyway.

“So, that embroidery.” 3 reps and he was already breathing hard. “It’s a nice touch.”

“Thanks. I hate boring braces...” her head turned to Sousuke again, eyes widening right after, setting a domino effect in motion. “Stop! Put those down!”

Sousuke practically dropped the weights, narrowly missing his face. She flipped over and pushed herself up, much quicker than last time, and kneeled on the floor beside him.

“You’re going to wreck your shoulder for good if you’re doing it like that. Pick one up, please. Left hand.”

The etched steel grip was leaving crisscrossed indents on his palms and fingers.

She took hold of his arm, just above his elbow and just above his wrist. “First, the palms of your hands have to point to your feet. It will make this much easier. Second, keep the weights over your chest. That way, you’ll not only be working the right muscles, but you also won’t ruin that pretty face of yours if you drop them.”

His eyes snapped to hers. “Pretty?”

She smirked and didn’t reply, just kept teaching. “Push straight up, hold, and then lower. Slowly, nice and controlled. Try it.”

Her soft touch left his bicep and wrist, just the ghost of warmth still present on his skin. She settled on her haunches and observed. And good thing. Just her touch was turning his muscles to goo. But you bet he was going to give it a try.

Sousuke took into account every detail she’d mentioned and centred his focus on not making a fool of himself.

“Yes, that’s it. Good and slow.”

As his arm lowered, she caught it to relieve extra stress.

“That’s an improvement, but I think you should weight down. The last thing you need is to hurt yourself.”

“Wow, there’s another blow to the ego.” He put a hand to his chest, feigning a pained expression. “Thanks for the help.”

“Any time.”

She put away her own weights and added her mat back onto the disheveled pile, not hiding her laughter at all.

“I’ll fix it when I get up,” he countered.

“Alright. By the way, try wearing your brace on the outside of your shirt. It’ll be more comfortable. Just a tip.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

And off she went, leaving Sousuke to his own lonely bench presses, but a little less depressed.

He had no regrets.

—————

He’d lost count of how many reps he’d done, knowing only that his arms burned and he’d been too distracted to even count.

Right on time, a shadow towered over him.

“I’m off for the day. Don’t work yourself too hard, okay? See you around, Butterfly.”

She had changed out of her gym gear, and if someone told Sousuke she had just stepped off the runway, he would believe them. Two knee braces wrapped around her legs scratched together as she passed her weight from one side to the other. Her hair now settling on her shoulders, but the tension of her ponytail holder had created a tiny wave at eye level. Her floral perfume wafted over him. Damn, she smelled just like spring.

A piece of paper fluttered down and settled on his chest as she walked away.

The weights clanked on the floor as Sousuke rushed to read the note.

It was just a small scrap, ripped off of a larger paper. Blue ink blobbed at the bottom of some letters, still wet. A butterfly was scribbled in the right-hand corner.

_It looks like you’re in need of a workout partner. Call me anytime ;)  
_

_090-XXXX-XXXX_

—————

Sousuke chuckled. “I could get used to this.”

After months of rehabilitative training, Sousuke was feeling the best he had in a while.

And the addition of a new “workout partner” was...a nice touch.

Did he care that everyone in that gym was staring at them? Absolutely not.

Sousuke held a plank solid as a board, his girlfriend laying quite comfortably underneath. Her arms sat folded over her chest and her ankles crossed one over the other between his sneakers.

“Don’t get any ideas, big guy! You’ve got three sets of 20 pushups to do.”

“And what do _I_ get out of this?”

“Some solid muscle. And a smooch for each one.”

His eyes narrowed. “But I could get that any day...”

“If you want it, you’ve gotta work for it, Butterfly.”

**Author's Note:**

> Flare-ups are kicking my butt today so I wrote this.
> 
> Do your physio, kids
> 
> Also, first story! Woohoo!


End file.
